BJP leaders use online polls to show popularity

With just five months to assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, competition has peaked among ruling BJP leaders vying for tickets, with many resorting to local online polls to make their case and project their popularity. Supporters of these leaders have been organising social media polls by uploading photographs of contenders and tagging them with messages like “Who is the best possible candidate from this constituency?” on their Facebook pages.

Since these opinion polls are invariably posted by supporters of these leaders, Facebook or WhatsApp groups tend to have predictable comments and praise for the leader and expectedly thw choicest of criticism for their opponents.

Upset with this competitive online polling, a former BJP MLA Dhruv Narayan Singh even lodged a complaint with police, demanding action against what he called “fake” polling. He said, “They don’t even know if I am going to contest the election or not. They are unnecessarily creating noise. People are posting whatever they want and maligning the image by posting photographs. I objected to this and lodged a complaint against it.”

Shivam Sharma, a poll creator for a constituency of Morena district, said, “Our motive is not to disrespect anyone. We are trying to test the popularity of local leaders and social media is an open and transparent way to do it.”

Calling it a problem, state BJP president Rakesh Singh has asked leaders not to indulge in such publicity stunts. He said, “I have asked all leaders not to overuse social media. Nothing is going to happen by organising such polls. They should concentrate more on ground work than on social media.”

Terming it an unrest within the party, MP Congress spokesperson Manak Agrawal said, “There is unrest in BJP. Its leaders are fighting with each other and this polling is a result of it.”

BHOPAL: Nothing is going to happen by organising such polls. Leaders should concentrate on ground work than on social media. RAKESH SINGH, MP BJP president